The long range objective of this research is to produce materials capable of therapeutic alteration of specific DNA function. Receptor-specific polymeric ligands for DNA are produced by template polymerization and tested for specificity of rebinding to the template. Physical, chemical and biological characterization of the synthetic polymers will be pursued. Parallel studies of DNA interacting with drugs and chromatin using NMR, fluorescence energy transfer and relaxation kinetic methods will be carried out. These experiments are designed to elucidate hydrogen bonding and ionic interactions of drugs with DNA, and to clarify the structure of DNA complexes. Particular attention will be paid to the binding of DNA to histones and to the structural organization of chromatin.